Reversing-valve mechanism.



C. S. LEONARD.

BEVERSING VALVE MECHANISM.

(Application led May 2, 1901.)

(No Mudel.)

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CzI l 61 l I i d Patented lan. 28, |902.Y

UNTTEE STATES PATENT OFFICE. r

CHESTER IS. LEONARD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCES J. WISE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSlNG-VALVE MECHANISNI.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N o. 692,204, dated January 28, 1902.

Application filed May 2, 1901. Serial No, 58,406. (No model.)

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER S. LEONARD, a citizen of the United States,residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Reversing-Valve Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in valve mechanism for engines, having for its object the provision of an efficient and simple device for controlling the admission of steam or other motive iiuid to the cylinder of an engine. This object I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a vertical sectional view through a valve-casing, showing my improved valve mechanism. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the rotary admission-valve. Figs. 4C and 5 are end views of the rotary valve; and Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are vertical sectional views of the reversing-valve, taken on the lines 6 6, 7 7, S 8, and 9 9, respectively, Fig. l.

In the drawings, A is the valve-casin g, having in it two cylindrical chambers in which are valves B and D and provided with a head A', held in place by bolts or screws a4 a4. The casing here shown is designed to be attached to and used in connection with a multipleeylinder engine, the main shaft c of which enters the said casing through a stuffing-box a. Ports a2 d3 lead to the cylinders of the engine and enter one of the above-mentioned chambers in the casing at its end nearest the said engine. Within this chamber is the cylindrical valve B, fixed by a key h to the shaft d and having passages h b2 running through it. The horizontal portions of these passages are placed at the same distance from the center of the shaft a, and each has an opening at the end of the valve, being constructed in the valve illustrated so that the said openings come opposite the ports a2 and a3 once in each revolution of the valve.

The preferred shape of the horizontal sections of the passages b b2 is shown in Fig. 5, and after passing into the valve a certain distance they turn at right angles, having rectangular openings on the cylindrical surface of said valve one hundred and eighty degrees distant from each other, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Each end of the valve B is provided with hardened-metal plates h3 b3, held in place by pins, as shown, and there are similar plates 6464 at each end of the valve-chamber, against which the plates b3 act. At the end of the valve nearest the engine-cylinders the plates b3 b4 are made with openings through them corresponding to the steam-passages b a2 and b2 d3.

Springs b5 h5, placed in suitable recesses h6 in the Valve B, press one of the plates h3, thereby insuring uniform wear of the plates and making a tight joint between the end of the valve and the surface upon which open the ports a2 a3.

Within the body ofthe casingA and formed concentrically with the valve B are two annular passages c c', as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l, there being in the present instance two openings c2 c3 and c4 c5, respectively, leading from each passage into the chamber containing the said valve B at points one hundred and eighty degrees apart. The opening from' the passage b of the valve B passes by the two openings c4 c5at each revolution of the said valve, as does also the opening of the passage b2 pass by the two openings c2 c3. v

There are two openings c6 and c7 connecting the annular passages c and c', respectively, with the chamber iu which is the valve D. This valve is preferably cylindrical in form and is constructed to be reciprocated within its chamber. For this purposea valverod d is pinned to it, the said rod extending through a stuffing-box d in the head A'. An operating-lever E is pivoted to the said head A at e and is connected to the rod d by a pin e', there being a slotted opening e2 provided in said lever in which the pin e may slide as the lever is reciprocated. A piece F, made in the arc of a circle, is suitably attached to the valve-casing A and has in it notches ff made to receive one end of a pivoted latchpiece e3 on the lever E, whereby said lever maybe retained in any desired position.

The valve D has four series of passages running thro ugh it, and there are, besides the two passages c6 and c7, a main inlet-passage d2 and a main exhaust-passage d3 also opening into its chamber. In the position shown in Figs.

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1 and 2 a passage d4 in the valve D connects the inlet d2 with the openingv c' to the annular passage c, and an annular passage di' allows iiuid to iiow from the opening c7 to the main exhaust d3. When by means of the lever E the valve D is moved to the other end of its chamber, a passage d, running through the body of the valve, connects the inlet-passage d2 with the opening c7, and a similar passage CV connects the opening cwith the exhaust cl3.

It will be noted from an inspection of the igures that of the passages entering the chamber of the valve D two come in at the bottom and the others at points ninety `degrees on either side of the two entering at the bottom. Of the passages in the valve the two ends of each one open in planes lying at an angle of ninety degrees to each other.

In operation steam or other motive duid enters through the inlet di. From here it passes through the passages d4 cG around the annular passage c to c3 b2 and into the steam-port a3, from whence it isadmitted to one end of an engine designed to take steam atone end only. Simultaneously steam is being exhausted from a similar engine-cylinder set opposite to the first one through the port a2 and passages b' c4 c' c7 d5 to the main exhaust d3. mechanism has made one-half of a revolution, the passage b2 has come opposite the port a2 and is in communication with the passage c through the opening c2, thereby admitting steam to the cylinder in connection with the port a2. At the same time the passage b has connected the port da and the passage c in the valve, thereby allowing the steam to exhaust from the said port through c7 and d5 to the mainexhaust d3. When it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the shaft a, the valve D is moved by means of its lever E until the passage 036 connects the inlet d2 and the opening c7, and the passage Z7 connects the opening cG and the main exhaust. By this means the motive tluid is admittedto an engine-cylinder which has just been exhausting and a cylinder is connected to the exhaust which was previously in position to take steam.

As shown in the drawings, there are grooves g g cut in the surface of the valve D, into which packing-rings are tted to prevent any possible leakage between the valve and the walls of its chamber.

It will be understood that my improved mechanism may be used in connection with an engine having any desired number of cylinders, it requiring but slight modification of the valve-casin g to provide the necessary passages.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a valve-casing having in it a valve-chamber, an inlet and an exhaust passage opening into said chamber, two other passages also opening into the chamber, a valve in the chamber, passages in said valve normally connecting the inlet with the first of the passages in the casing, and the exhaust When the with the second passage, two other passages in the ,valve and means for moving the said valve longitudinally whereby the second set of passages in the valve are brought into use and the connections ot' the two passages in the casing are reversed, substantially as described. .f

2. The combination in a valve-casing having a valve-chamber into which open an inlet and an exhaust passage, two other passages entering the chamber, a valve in said chamber, four passages therein and means for reciprocatin g the valve, the said passages in the valve being constructed to connect either one ofthe passages opening into the valve-chamber with either the inlet or the exhaust passage when said valve is reciprocated substantially as described.

3. In a reversing-valve, the combination of a casing having a valve-chamber, a valve therein having two sets of passages running through it, four passages entering the valvechamber, one set of passages in the valve connecting said passages entering the casing in pairs, the second set reversing the connections of said passages when the valve is moved longitudinally, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a casing having a valve-chamber, a valve therein, an inlet and an exhaust passage opening into said chamber, two other passages also entering the chamber, means for reciprocating the valve, said valve having an annular recess around it and three passages running through it, being constructed to reverse the direction of flow of a tluid through to the passages in the valve-casing when the valve is moved, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a valve mechanism for an engine, of a casing having two valvechambers, a reversing-valve constructed to be reciprocated in one chamber and a second valve constructed to continuously rotate in the other chamber, passages in the valves, passages connecting the chambers, and other passages leading from the chambers to the engine-cylinders and an inlet and an exhaust passage in the casing, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a casing having two valve-chambers, an inlet and an exhaust passage opening into one of the same and passages connecting the chambers, a rotary admission in one chamber connected to the ports of a steam-engine, and a cylindrical reversing-valve in the other chamber constructed to reverse the direction of-liow of motive fluid through the passages of the rotary valve when said second valve is operated, substantially as described.

7. In a valve mechanism for an engine, the combination of a casing, two valve-chambers therein, an inlet and an exhaust passage entering one chamber, two passages connecting the two chambers, ports leading from the second chamber to an engine, a rotary valve in said second chamber, constructed to be oplOl) erated by said engine, and a reversing-valve in the irst chamber whereby either of the passages connecting the chambers may be connected to the inlet or exhaust at will, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a casing, two valvechambers therein, an inlet and an exhaust passage leadi'ng to one of said chambers, annular passages extending around the second chamber having passages connecting them to both chambers, a rotary valve in the second chamber connecting it to an engine, and a cylindrical reversing-valve constructed to be longitudinally reciprocated in the rst chamber whereby the direction of iiow of iuid through the ports of the engine may be reversed, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a casing, a cylindrical valve-chamber therein, ports leading to an engine opening into one end of said chamber, inlet and exhaust passages opening on the curved surface of the cham ber,and a valve in said chamber having passages through it constructed to periodically connect said ports alternatelywith said inlet and exhaust passages, substantially as described.

l0. The combination of a casing, a cylindrical valve-chamber therein, ports leading to an engine, opening into one end thereof, annular passages surrounding the said chamber, openings from each of said passages into the chamber, a valve constructed to rotate in said' chamber, having in it passages, one of said passages opening on the end of the valve and on its curved surface in the plane ofthe open- 12. The combination of a casing having a cylindrical valve-chamber, a valve therein,

hardened-metal plates at each end of the.

chamber, other plates on the ends of the valve, and springs set in recesses in the valve and arranged to keep said plates in contact With each other.

13. The combination of a casing having a cylindrical valve-chamber, a valve therein having passages opening at its ends and on its curved su rface, hardened-metal plates on the ends of the valve and similar plates at the end of the chamber, and passages in the casing, the plates at the ends of the valve having passages through them, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribingwitnesses.

, CHESTER S. LEONARD.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

